BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Hair Advice on growing long hair

Hi Kim:
I have the same type of curls that you do.
Your hair looks a few inches longer than mine - what products do you use? I used to use Ouidad for curly hair but it made it so frizzy!
I am also known for my hair. I like to flat iron the bangs because I really dislike curly bangs - I mostly wear it natural, but when I get it cut, I let my hairdresser staighten it and I love it - but I am accepting my curls now.
The problem I get is the breaking!!! How do you counteract that?

HI Billie,

I flat iron my bangs too--which is obvious if you look at my picture, right?

I've had very good luck with Icon products. For shampoo I use "Drench" and condioner I use "Free." For leave in conditioner I use spray product called "Cure" or another one that's similar, but I can't remember the name of it.

My favorite Icon product, "Bright" has been discontinued and I'm using my last package of it now, so I need to find a replacement. It's a silica-gel product I put on my wet hair (to lock in moisture) before I put on the mousse.

I was amazed when I tried Paul Mitchell Mousse--recommended by a friend with similar hair. Until I found PM mousse, I had to blow dry my hair with a diffuser. If it was even the littlest bit wet it would frizz like nobody's business. With PM mousse, I can apply it and let my hair air dry, whch also cuts more frizziness and volume. When I wake in the morning, I apply the "Bright" again to my (mostly) dry hair and it helps cut the frizz and give a little shine.

For me, the thing that's helped my breakage and split ends is that I don't blow dry my hair any more, that I ony comb it out wet (with tons of conditioner and not again until I wash it again), constantly trimming the split ends, and the Tangle Teaser: http://www.tangleteaser.com/ I was using a wide tooth comb, and I noticed a huge difference. A friend who was using a sponge-back brush didn't notice as huge a difference as I did, so maybe try that first if you have one.

Constant trimming the ends, though, does help. And hydrating conditiners and shampoos. I pay more attention to hydrating than to shampoos for curly hair or colored hair. Hydration for hair as dry as mine is more important. Perhaps for you too? I also use 9-11 and Biolage shapmoos & conditioners. As I said in a previous post, I rotate my shampoos & conditioners.

Thanks for your info. I never heard of Icon. I will look that up.
I used to use PM products - I will try the mousse. Aveda is pretty good too.
After spending a lot of money, I found satisfaction with Sunsilk - it does a great job.
I just got to keep ahead of all my split ends! I do try to make trims at every eight weeks.
I have to stay away from my hair though - I keep pulling at the curls!!

I have similar hair to yours too...long and curly, though mine is not such a pretty color (dark brown). I used to have bangs, but my DH strongly voted against them at my last hair cut. Even though I straight iron them, they still don't work out right. When I just come home from the hairdresser they look great, but I can't seem to replicate it.

I've tried every styling product I can find, and get my haircut every 10 weeks, but still my hair was getting really dry and split. I've started to have to color it because of gray, and use the most herbal/nontoxic coloring I can find.

There's a book out on how to take care of curly hair...and it says don't even use shampoo at all! It said conditioner will clean your hair, and not dry it out. I tried that for several months, but it wasn't especially good. My hair got kind of weird and crunchy.

But, everything has improved for me lately since reading on this forum somewhere about olive oil!!! Now I wash and condition my hair every 2-3 days, and while it's wet, comb in some olive oil. It works incredibly!! It makes it so much softer and more manageable. It's like someone else's hair. When it's dry, if it's a really curly day, I'll straight iron it a bit to make it not so puffy.

I went back to my hairdresser after using the olive oil for awhile, and she actually complimented my hair. Hairdressers used to fawn over my hair when I was a kid, but haven't lately since it's always so dry. Instead of shaking her head sadly and saying, "You really need our special super-expensive hot oil conditioning treatment," instead she said, "I love your curls" (while touching my hair even!!) it's been a drastic change. Thank you to whoever recommended that!!

It totally eliminated my extensive use of leave-in conditioners, so should end up being a real money saver in the long run if it keeps working so well.

Oh, I'm all good now. I know exactly what the stress was, and that is OVER (it was a horrible job I was at for 2 months.) My hair fell out for maybe a month and a half before it went back to normal.

Billie,
Here's what Icon products look like: http://www.joybeauty.com/products/icon/ They have a big "K" on them. Yes. Stop playing with your curls and let them be. It helps me, anyway. On bad hair days, it just goes up.

Frieda,
I've heard of the "conditioner only" suggestion, but a friend tried it and said the same thing, so I never bothered. I've also heard about using Olive oil, but never tried it. Maybe I'll give it a shot.

I've always had bangs. I have a very big widow's peak and I think I'd look funny without them.

My hair color is obviously not natural. Mine is mostly boring brown naturally too, though I do have a lot of red in my hair (my mom's a redhead) but it's not naturally so vibrant red. Most reds fade very quickly, and this one is no exception, but only washing my hair every 3 or 4 days helps it last longer for sure.

Glad you're feeling better. Isn't it crazy how much stress affects our bodies? I had one of those jobs where I went home crying everyday it was so awful. All of a sudden, I had exczema on my fingers, which I'd never had before. When I quit, it went away. Also, I've noticed if I go through an emotional "low" over something, the next day, wham, I'll have a zit to commemorate the experience.

Good. No job is worth your health. I had to learn that the hard way too!

Hi Cherry:

Thanks for the website. My hair is straightened today - I am happy about it. (I don't worry about any frizzy, puffy parts.)

But, I will make a resolution not to keep playing and pulling at my curls!

I also developed eczema on my fingers!

In highschool, I did have the hair fallout at the top due to a lot of pain & stress - issues.
I try to never again have that level of stress; now I do stress out about my parent's health (my dad's especially).